Experts recommend Yamaha HS5 more than JBL 306P MkII
As of 2 Apr 2024, experts prefer Yamaha HS5 over JBL 306P MkII, but both Studio Monitors have solid expert endorsements.
As per this month's meta ranking, Yamaha HS5 received 4 recommendations: from Popular Science (8 Feb 2024), Hyperbits Music Radar (22 Mar 2024) and 1 other. By contrast, JBL 306P MkII received only 1 recommendation from Music Critic (7 Jan 2023).
| Rank | Change | Price | Studio Monitor | Pocket-lint  | E-Home Recording Studio  | woodandfirestudio.com  | Popular Science  | Hyperbits  | Gearank  | Careers In Music  | Music Radar  | PianoDreamers  | Music Critic  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | +1 | $200 |  Yamaha HS5 The Yamaha HS5 is a powerful and reliable studio monitor that delivers accurate and detailed sound reproduction, making it a great choice for home studios and small recording spaces. | - | - | - | 1 | 4 | - | - | 4 | 4 | - |
| 29 | N/A | $458 |  JBL 306P MkII | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 |
Curious to see this month's entire Studio Monitors ranking? It's here
Endorsement summary:
- On 7 Jan 2023 Music Critic ranked JBL 306P MkII as #3
Rank Studio Monitor Comment ... ... ... #3 out of 8 JBL 306P MkII Great Value... ... ... Source: musiccritic.com - On 8 Feb 2024 Popular Science ranked Yamaha HS5 as #1
Rank Studio Monitor Comment #1 out of 8 Yamaha HS5 Best overall... ... ... Source: www.popsci.com - Hyperbits ranked Yamaha HS5 as #4
Rank Studio Monitor Comment ... ... ... #4 out of 20 Yamaha HS5 Best Entry Level Monitors (less than $400/pair)... ... ... Source: hyperbitsmusic.com - On 22 Mar 2024 Music Radar ranked Yamaha HS5 as #4
Rank Studio Monitor Comment ... ... ... #4 out of 9 Yamaha HS5 The best for a true representation of your recordings... ... ... Source: www.musicradar.com - On 22 Jan 2024 PianoDreamers ranked Yamaha HS5 as #4
Rank Studio Monitor Comment ... ... ... #4 out of 10 Yamaha HS5 Best Studio Monitor Under $500 (for intermediate studios)... ... ... Source: www.pianodreamers.com
After counting and adding up the 100 expert endorsements of the April rankings, Yamaha HS5 outranks JBL 306P MkII. This is not to say that JBL 306P MkII is a bad option. Like Yamaha HS5, it is recommended by experts, but less.
JBL 306P MkII 
Yamaha HS5 Customers like Yamaha HS5 a bit more
At ReviewFinder we prefer to focus on professional product reviews, because customer reviews can be disproportionately affected by unrelated factors such as delivery, specific seller listing problems, and, of course, fake reviews. With that said, below is the summary of consumer sentiment.
Yamaha HS5
CS of 10 is similar to a 4.8 star review, CS of 0 is similar to a 2 star review.
Yamaha HS5, the cheaper option, tends to get more favorable reviews than JBL 306P MkII.
As can be seen in the chart above, median best-selling studio monitor receives a consumer score of 8.7 (great). Both JBL 306P MkII and Yamaha HS5 receive customer reviews that average out above that median threshold.
| JBL 306P MkII |
In comparison:
9.4 Amazing
|
| Yamaha HS5 |
In comparison:
9.6 Amazing
|
| Median best-selling Studio Monitor |
In comparison:
8.7 Great
|
JBL 306P MkII is more popular than Yamaha HS5
It's fairly safe to say that JBL 306P MkII is a more popular studio monitor than Yamaha HS5, based on its 900+ reviews. Popularity is determined based on product sales. Note that older and cheaper products tend to sell more.
To consider
| Table: Top compared alternatives for JBL 306P MkII and Yamaha HS5 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | PreSonus Eris E.45 | $200 |
In comparison:
9.1 Great
| 2 expert recommendations | Cheaper More Popular |
 | KRK Rokit 8 G4 | $250 |
We don't yet have enough review information for KRK Rokit 8 G4 N/A
| 2 expert recommendations | |
 | Edifier R1850DB | $200 |
In comparison:
9.0 Great
| No expert recommendations | More Popular |
 | Genelec 8010A | $514 |
In comparison:
9.6 Amazing
| 5 expert recommendations | |
| Rank | Change | Price | Studio Monitor | Pocket-lint | E-Home Recording Studio | woodandfirestudio.com | Popular Science | Hyperbits | Gearank | Careers In Music | Music Radar | PianoDreamers | Music Critic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | $399 |  Yamaha HS8 The Yamaha HS8 Studio Monitor is a powerful and reliable speaker with accurate sound reproduction and complete response control, making it ideal for professional use in larger studio spaces or for live performances. | - | 3 | 2 | - | 6 | 9 | - | - | - | 1 |
| 2 | - | $720 |  Neumann KH 120 A The Neumann KH 120 A is a bi-amplified speaker system designed for accurate and detailed sound reproduction, making it ideal for critical listening applications in professional recording studios, post-production facilities, and broadcast environments. | - | 6 | 1 | - | - | 12 | 4 | - | - | 2 |
| 3 | +4 | $129 |  JBL 305P MkII The JBL 305P MkII is a highly recommended and affordable studio monitor that delivers accurate and detailed sound reproduction with advanced technology and excellent stereo imaging. | - | - | - | 6 | 1 | 5 | - | 6 | 5 | - |
| 4 | - | $159 |  KRK Rokit 5 G4 The KRK Rokit 5 G4 is a powerful and versatile studio monitor with a bi-amp design, accurate sound reproduction, and impressive bass performance, making it ideal for mixing and mastering music in small to medium-sized studios or home recording setups. | - | 1 | - | - | 2 | 3 | - | - | 6 | - |
| Show all rows | |||||||||||||
Expert reviews [5]
- with a score: 0
- without a score: 5
Expert reviews [19]
- with a score: 8
- without a score: 11
| Highest score by Home DJ Studio | 94 |
| Average score based on 19 reviews | 84 |
| Lowest score by Digital Stereophony | 70 |
Score distribution:
| 80-100 | |
| 60-80 | |
| 40-60 | |
| 20-40 | |
| 0-20 |
- Bundle Includes: Two JBL 306P MkII Powered 6-inch Two-Way Studio Monitors
- High-quality: JBL 306P MkII has been equipped with acclaimed 3 Series transducers that now perform even better. Hear deep, accurate, and tightly controlled bass, thanks to a long-throw 6.5-inch woofer and the patented JBL Slip Stream low-frequency port
- Read more
- 2-Way bass-reflex bi-amplified nearfield studio monitor with 5" cone woofer and 1" dome tweeter
- 54Hz-30kHz frequency response
- 45W LF plus 25W HF bi-amp system for high-performance 70W power amplification
- Read more
JBL 306P MkII is a very popular and one of the more expensive options. It's in the top 3 bestselling studio monitors and has dozens of popular alternatives in the same price range, such as Focal Alpha 65 Evo or JBL 305P MkII .
JBL 306P MkII is $208.01 more expensive than an average studio monitor ($249.99).
Yamaha HS5 is a very popular option in the middle of the studio monitors price range. It's in the top 3 bestselling studio monitors and has dozens of popular alternatives in the same price range, such as Edifier R1850DB or JBL Control 1 Pro .
Yamaha HS5 is $50 cheaper than the average studio monitor ($249.99).
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